Latest KFF Health News Stories
Britain, Australia Urge International Community To Assist In Drought Relief
Andrew Mitchell, Britain’s international development secretary, and Kevin Rudd, Australia’s foreign minister, describe their countries’ responses to the drought and famine in East Africa in an Independent opinion piece. “The U.N. appeals are still underfunded by almost $1 billion. Britain and Australia urge the rest of the world to join them to work to prevent this humanitarian disaster turning into a catastrophe on a scale of the 1984 Ethiopian famine,” they write.
U.N. Emergency Meeting Recognizes Need For Urgent Response To Horn Of Africa Drought
At an emergency meeting at the Rome headquarters of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Monday, the agency announced “there will be a donors pledging conference Wednesday in Nairobi to raise as much as $1.6 billion to help fight famine in Somalia and other drought-stricken populations in East Africa,” the Associated Press/Forbes reports (7/25). Prior to the meeting, the World Bank “announced it is providing more than $500 million to assist drought victims, in addition to $12 million in immediate assistance to help those worst hit by the crisis,” a World Bank press release states (7/25).
Haitian Cholera Epidemic Worsening With Start Of Rainy Season
According to the Haitian government, more than 5,800 people have died of cholera since the epidemic began in October, and health care workers have seen an increase in cases “[w]ith the rainy season now in progress,” the Los Angeles Times reports (Gaestel, 7/24).
Rwandan Government Pushing For Sanitation Facilities In Every Household
Rwanda “is one of only four countries in Africa which look set to achieve Millennium Development Goal 7 to ensure environmental sustainability, which includes halving the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation,” Inter Press Service reports in an article examining hygiene and sanitation in the country. The other three countries are Mozambique, Ghana and Sierra Leone, the news service notes.
Gridlock Continues Despite Push To Reach Debt-Ceiling Deal
Democrat and Republican leaders are preparing their own backup plans as possibilities for a bipartisan approach appear increasingly dim. Both political and policy-oriented differences are making the process difficult.
Iowa, Kentucky Get Extra Time To Comply With MLR Rule
But North Dakota became the first state to have the Department of Health and Human Services deny a waiver request regarding the health law’s medical loss ratio provision, which requires health plans in the individual and small-group markets to spend no more than 20 percent of premiums on administrative costs.
Rwanda Testing Non-Surgical Circumcision Device In National Campaign
BBC News on Sunday looked at how Rwanda’s national circumcision campaign, which began in December 2010 to help lower the incidence of HIV in the country, is testing a new “device called a PrePex, a three-piece mechanism consisting of two plastic rings and an elastic mechanism.” The device “is clamped onto the penis without any need for sutures or anesthesia” to remove the foreskin.
Male Contraceptive Research Gaining Attention From Scientists
The New York Times on Saturday examined research into several different methods of male contraception. “Male contraceptives are attracting growing interest from scientists, who believe they hold promise for being safe, effective and, also important, reversible,” the newspaper writes. “Prompted by women’s organizations, global health groups and surveys indicating that men are receptive, federal agencies are financing research. Some methods will be presented at an October conference sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” according to the newspaper (Belluck, 7/23).
Viewpoints: Van Hollen On Medicaid Cuts; Debate On Raising Medicare Age; Women’s Health Issues
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Talks Between Automakers, UAW Focus On Health Care Costs
Reuters reports that as the three big U.S. automakers begin talks with the United Auto Workers this week on new labor agreements, the amount spent on union members’ health benefits will be front and center.
State Roundup: Doctor Supply At Issue In Several States
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
The Evolution Of Hospice From Its Charitable Roots To Big Business
Bloomberg reports on how this trend may be leading to a steep price for patients and their families.
Health Providers Embrace The Potential Of ACOs
News outlets report on some health care providers’ views of the potential of accountable care organizations to improve quality and reduce costs.
Health Law Changes Present Enrollment Challenges
Meanwhile, news outlets report on a range of other implementation issues, including the decision of Ohio Gov. John Kasich to follow through on forming a state-based exchange despite his opposition to the overhaul, changes to FSAs and the measure’s impact on farmers.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports on the status of efforts to reach a debt-ceiling deal.
Officials Stake Out Positions As Debt Deadline Looms
Focus turns to a proposal by House Speaker John Boehner that would raise the debt limit now but require a commission to make cuts later in entitlements such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Obama And Congressional Leaders Hold New Debt Talks
After efforts by the president and House Speaker John Boehner fell apart, the leaders met at the White House Saturday to try to patch together a new deal. There are questions about what will happen to entitlement programs including Medicare and Medicaid.
House Committee Votes To Reinstate ‘Global Gag Rule’
The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday voted to “reinstate a ban on providing foreign aid to groups that perform abortions or provide advice about the procedure,” The Hill’s “HealthWatch” blog reports on the “so-called ‘global gag rule'” (Baker, 7/21).
Infanticide And Attempted Infanticide Common Crimes Among Inmates In Malian Capital’s Women’s Prison
“Infanticide or attempted infanticide has become the most common crime after theft and assault among inmates at the prison for women and girls” in Mali’s capital city Bamako, the Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle reports.
